The population of Suffolk, Va., has approximately doubled since 1990, and that growth is expected to continue, said Andy Spicknall, president of the new Bon Secours Harbour View Medical Center, which is expected to open in the spring.
"Over the next five years, they are projecting that the population is going to grow an additional 2.9%, but what is also telling is that over that same period, the population over age 65 is going to grow 15.2%," Mr. Spicknall told Becker's. "So not only is this a population that is growing significantly, but it is also a population that is aging, so we want to ensure that we've got the healthcare services that are available in the community that we serve to be able to meet their needs."
That growth has been factored into Harbour View's design.
Construction on the $80 million, 100,000-square-foot facility began in October 2022 and is slated to be completed in March. The hospital will adjoin the existing Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View campus, creating the new Bon Secours Harbour View Medical Center. The new hospital also will include expanded services and the integration of a freestanding emergency department, imaging center and lab into a comprehensive medical facility. Mr. Spicknall said the introduction of 18 inpatient beds and four operating rooms is an extension of the existing robust outpatient services and that the facility has the ability to grow with the community.
"We are opening with 18 inpatient beds, but have shelled out space to be able to expand inpatient beds on a third floor, and the building is constructed so that it has the capacity to expand vertically an additional floor, which would allow the facility to be able to accommodate 54 inpatient beds as well as space for observation patients," Mr. Spicknall said.
Rapid technological change is another consideration that was folded into the hospital's design.
"The role of technology in healthcare looks very different today than it did four years ago," he said. "Knowing that the life cycle of this facility is measured in decades, we want to ensure that we've got the ability to grow, expand and adapt to meet the needs of our patients and our caregivers."
Kristen McSorley, DNP, RN, Harbour View's vice president of nursing, said patient communication is a key part of the technology implementation at the new hospital. Electronic boards will not only help with patient communication but will benefit their families.
The ability to provide an extra layer of communication was a "great learning from COVID," she said.
"It was a challenge to really allow the patient to not only communicate with family, but with the medical team," Dr. McSorley said. "So now we have the opportunity where that is the primary focus."